


Jungle VIPs

by FlightOfInsanity



Category: The Jungle Book (2016)
Genre: Gen, cute baby cats
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-19
Updated: 2016-05-19
Packaged: 2018-06-09 10:48:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6902746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlightOfInsanity/pseuds/FlightOfInsanity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Even the Kings of the jungle are small and innocent at some point in their lives.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Jungle VIPs

Bagheera hunkered down in the thicket of weeds, trying to make as little noise as possible. He knew Shere Khan was out there somewhere. He’d been on the run from the tiger for a while now, but he was pretty sure he had the advantage now.

He’d taken a fairly obvious path through the foliage and across the small clearing that stretched out in front of him. Churned earth marked where he’d sprinted across the fallen leaves, taking a leap at the edge up into the trees beyond. With any luck, Shere Khan would follow his tracks straight into the clearing and assume Bagheera had taken to the trees.

Technically he _had_ taken to the trees, but only to skirt the edge of the clearing and drop into the weeds. The leafy green plants had taken him in without breaking and quickly swung back to their original positions. The shadows cast by the thick foliage should hide his dark coat amongst the green of the jungle and pungent flowers that reeked of rotting flesh bloomed nearby, masking his scent.

A rustle at the clearing edge to his left made him flatten down and freeze.

Could it be the tiger?

The sound came again – something was creeping through the grasses, directly along his trail. Bagheera tensed his back legs, his rear end rising slightly in preparation to leap forward. The grasses swayed and moved as something pushed through into the clearing…

Oh.

He relaxed slightly as a small wild pig shuffled into view. The creature had its nose to the ground, swinging it this way and that, apparently oblivious to the fact that it was following the panther’s trail. Maybe he’d lost Shere Khan earlier than he’d thought? Maybe the tiger wasn’t coming for him after all.

His nose wriggled. The scent of the nearby flowers was beginning to make him feel like he needed to sneeze, but if Sher Khan _was_ nearby, a sneeze would definitely give away his position. He flicked an ear, irritated with his nose and its insistent demand to sneeze. He wondered if he could muffle the sneeze in the dirt or if that would just make it worse.

A slight whoosh was the only warning he got before something barreled into him from behind. He yelped in surprise as the something’s momentum pushed him forward and he and it tumbled one over the other into the clearing. A brief glimpse of orange and white told him the something was Shere Khan, who had apparently managed to sneak up behind him.

Bagheera wound up on his back, Shere Khan standing over him looking needlessly triumphant. He took a swipe at his smug face. Shere Khan bit at the offending foot before bopping the panther lightly on the nose and backing off, allowing the other to roll over and sit up.

“Caught you!”

Bagheera folded his ears back in a pout. “How’d you find me?”

“You made your tracks too obvious right before the clearing,” the tiger explained. “I could tell you were up to something and a clearing is an obvious place for a trap.”

One black foot pawed at the ground as Bagheera looked down in defeat. He really thought he’d had the tiger that time. He thought he was going to finally win one of their games.

His whole world rocked sideways as Shere Khan unexpectedly bumped his head and shoulder into the panther’s side before sitting down next to him.

“The bit with the flowers was really clever, though.”

Bagheera hesitated and looked up, one ear forward. “You really think so?”

“Oh yeah! I couldn’t smell you at all once I got close to here. It took me forever to figure out where you were hiding. I kept thinking I was going to step on you without realizing it.”

“I did trick you!”

The tiger playfully bopped the other in the top of the head. “I told you you were getting better, didn’t I? One day you may even beat me!”

Bagheera launched himself at the tiger, bowling him over into the leaves. The two wrestled for a few minutes before breaking apart to play with the leaves they’d scattered around and kicked into the air. A bright beam of sunlight broke through the trees as the sun slowly sunk toward the horizon. The change in the light made the cubs pause.

“Do you think we should head back?” Bagheera asked. His mother would be upset if he was gone after dark; he assumed Shere Khan’s would be, too.

“I think we still have some time left.”

Neither of them moved, torn between knowing they should head home and wanting to keep playing.

“I bet there are some lizards we could chase by the water hole,” Shere Khan said slowly.

Bagheera turned his head and met the tiger’s eyes. They stared at each other for a moment before Bagheera shouted – “Race you there!” – and bolted from the clearing, Shere Khan giving chase a second later.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I know zero about Jungle Book canon, but I wanted chubby baby wildcats wresting around, so


End file.
